BET+ really isn’t playing around — the streamer is set to debut a new film based on a really incredible story we remember from the time it was in the headlines!
Based on a true story, KEMBA follows the journey of Kemba Smith, a sheltered college student who falls in love with a man who turns out to be a drug dealing kingpin. Watch the trailer below:
Shortly after meeting her boyfriend, Khalif, Kemba’s relationship with him took an unexpected turn into abuse and grooming when she learned he was a drug-dealer. Though she never dealt or handled drugs, Kemba received an outrageous sentence for her boyfriend’s crimes. The promising Hampton student was suddenly caught in the middle of a “war on drugs.”
Never losing hope in their daughter, Gus and Odessa Smith, along with an attorney from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, launch a campaign for appeal and later clemency. Their fight for justice launched Kemba’s story into an inspiring journey that harnessed the power of Black civic organizations, sororities, celebrities, and lawmakers to help free Kemba.
Nesta Cooper tackles the role of Kemba, while Siddiq Saunderson plays Khalif. Michelle Hurd will play Kemba’s mother Odessa Smith while Sean Patrick Thomas plays her father Gus Smith.
KEMBA will premiere on BET+ February 22.